Today in the Catalan capital, Rem Koolhaas was presented with the
European Union Prize - an award for works of architecture - by Ján
Figel’, the European Commissioner responsible for Education, Training,
Culture and Multilingualism, and Joan Clos, the mayor of Barcelona. The work
honoured by the panel of judges was the Dutch embassy in Berlin.

During a ceremony held today in Barcelona, the European Commissioner
responsible for Culture, Ján Figel’, and the mayor of the city, Joan
Clos, presented the Dutch architect, Rem Koolhaas, with the European Union Prize
for Contemporary Architecture.

The biannual prize, established in 2001 on the initiative of the European
Commission and the Mies van der Rohe Foundation, rewards excellence and
innovation in the conceptual, technical and constructional qualities of European
works. Created within the framework of the European Culture 2000 programme, and
with a prize of €50 000 and a sculpture by the Catalan artist Xavier
Corberó, the competition is aimed at both experienced and novice
architects. In total, 242 works of architecture were nominated for the prize
that was open to projects completed between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2004,
by experts in the field and national architecture associations throughout
Europe. An international panel of judges comprising nine
members[1] and presided over by
Zaha Hadid (who was awarded the prize in 2003) chose the winner from a list of
five finalists that included – besides the Dutch embassy in Berlin –
the headquarters of Swiss Re in London, the Selfridges & Co department store
in Birmingham, the Forum 2004 esplanade in Barcelona and the Braga municipal
stadium in Portugal.

At the award ceremony, Commissioner Figel’ said that: "the projects
nominated for this prize illustrate the cultural importance of architecture to
the everyday lives of Europeans, as they combine functionality with beauty. They
play an essential role in the creation of a harmonious and practical
environment".

Also awarded was a special prize for up-and-coming architects, whose winner
receives €10 000. This went to the BasketBar project in Utrecht, run
by the architects Pieter Bannenberg, Walter van Dijk, Kamiel Klaasse and Mark
Linnemann.

A total of 28 of the works nominated for the award will be displayed together
in a travelling exhibition.